


A drowning man will clutch at straws

by jinprncss



Category: K-pop, Topp Dogg (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gangsters, M/M, References to Drugs, idk what this is, only briefly though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-03-13 17:26:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3390047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinprncss/pseuds/jinprncss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seokjin is desperate and Namjoon is willing to exploit that. Namjoon found himself at a 'colleagues' party to celebrate their newest recruit, and when he saw Seokjin that night all he could think was how much exactly, would it take to buy someone like Seokjin?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Drowning Man will Clutch at Straws

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is, it just popped into my head?

It's no secret that Seokjin was desperate. There were the unbelievably large university fees to pay for, with no help what so ever as both his parents had died when he was young leaving him nothing but an alcoholic brother to take care of. Then there was the copious amounts of stress he was under, he needed to study day and night just to keep up with his classes, and when he wasn't at class he was working at a local cafe trying to make ends meet. Adding to that he also received a phone call from his brother almost everyday, with obnoxious rants about him being a lazy dongsaeng not helping to pay for 'important stuff'. None of that mattered though because he was going to finish university and become a doctor, he loved helping people because it offered him a small sense of purpose amongst all the chaos. Then the icing on the cake was when, on one particularly wretched cold afternoon, Seokjin arrived on campus after being called into the finance office, to his horror he found out his tuition was being revoked due to his slipping grades. He tried to promise them he could catch up easily if he found a new job to accommodate his class timetable but nobody wanted to hear him out, he was going to have to drop out of university and move back in with his horrid older brother. Everything he'd planned for was now crashing down around him, all his hopes of leaving his brother and moving into the city to help people were dissolving along with the heavy rain outside.

Namjoon was unscrupulous, he had no qualms about exploiting people's weaknesses for his own gain. During the week he found himself at a 'colleagues' party to celebrate their newest recruit, some kid cocky called Park Jimin if he remembers rightly. After his third whiskey he spotted a very pretty guy at across the room, Seokjin according to the drunk guy practically screaming at him, Namjoon knew right then he had to find out what that guy wanted more than anything, what was he prepared to sell his soul for. How much exactly, would it take to buy someone like Seokjin? Namjoon had a group of thugs under his control and some of them were nice to look at but nothing like this guy, he could definitely see the perks of having someone as attractive as Seokjin working for him. When he learned of Seokjin's unfortunate circumstance from a mutual friend of theirs he decided to offer his help, for a small price of course.

"Okay Princess, here's the deal. I'll pay for everything you want no questions asked and you'll take on the role of my personal assistant. How does that sound?" Namjoon slurred a little but he knew had the other guy's full attention, that hyung was obviously desperate.

"My name is Seokjin, that's Seokjin hyung to you! I know who you are Namjoon, and I know you aren't the charitable type. What do you really want from me and what would this role as 'personal assistant' entail anyway?" He tried to sound indifferent at that last part though, but what else could he do, nobody was giving him and job and there's no way he was going back home to his brother. How difficult could being a personal assistant be?

"You take care of whatever I need taking care of end of story. If you know who I am then you know I have the money to help you, it's not like you're really in a position to say no. I mean, they do say a drowning man will clutch at straws, right? Don't worry Princess, you won't have to hide any bodies, we wouldn't want to ruin your manicure, besides I have some other schmuck for that." A slow smirk began creeping across Namjoon's face when he saw his hyung's mouth drop, he could definitely see the benefits of having someone like Seokjin around. 

"That was a joke hyung. I mean come on if I told you about any bodies I'd have to kill you too and what a waste of a pretty face that would be. You'll come to my office when I call you no matter what the time, except during your classes of course, e-mail me a copy of your timetable so I know. I guess I'll see you in the morning Princess." With that Namjoon grabbed his phone, took Seokjin's number and then left the party all together.

Seokjin had a really bad feeling about this...


	2. Welcome to The Family

Two days later Seokjin received a text message from Namjoon with nothing more than a time and address. He hadn't been sleeping much since the party, he knew he was desperate but how desperate does one have to be to accept a job from someone like Namjoon?  What was he going to be asked to do and how much trouble was he going to get himself into? Seokjin decided after reading the text that he had nothing much to lose, he could at least go along and find out the details, if he didn't like it he could just say no, _right_? He got up from his tiny cramped desk deciding that he had started his accountancy essay way too soon anyway, he had months before it was due so he may as well go meet Namjoon. Trying to decide what to wear to this so called job interview was no easy feat, what does one wear when they're trying to get a position in some kind of mafia? Seokjin decided on a pair of tight black leather trousers and a black button down shirt, coming to the conclusion that a full suit would be a bit too uptight all things considered. Maybe wearing all black would make him a bit more intimidating anyhow. Once he had finally managed to get downstairs and into his beaten up crappy car he noted he was low on fuel, which was really not good because he couldn't afford to fill it back up, all he could do was hope it would get him there. 

  
Seokjin had driven for what felt like at least an hour until he was outside of the town, praying to whatever God that his car wouldn't run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere with no extra petrol can in the back. After a few more minutes of muttering to himself about the whole situation he had come across a very large mansion with huge black iron wrought gates circling the whole perimeter, figuring he must have been at the right place he had slowed down to get a better view. He came to a stop just outside the gates to press the buzzer waiting for some kind of guard to answer but to his surprise the gates had swung open without any kind of security check. Slowly he made his way up to the front of the house only to be hit with a sudden wave of anxiety, right now his was standing on the doorstep of a rich mafia boss and to make matters worse he hadn't even told anyone where he was, then again who would he even tell it's not like anybody would have missed him.   
Once inside he had been left to wait in a large office with an open fire and huge bookcase covering the back wall behind a large oak desk, he knew this was all for show purely for the purpose of getting Seokjin to see the benifits of working for Namjoon. Letting him have a taste of something he may be able to one day archive. He decided that the best way to go about this was to seem confident and in control, he didn't want to be pushed into a contract he wasn't absolutely sure about. With that thought in mind he sat down in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace and made himself comfortable trying to keep a reign on his anxiety.

"Ah, so you actually came princess, not going to lie I had half expected you to chicken out." Namjoon had sauntered in and settled into the seat opposite him without a sound almost causing the older boy to jump and ruin his whole bravado. 

"It's Seokjin hyung to you. I thought I may as well see what you had to say, seeing as my other plans for today fell through." Seokjin was hoping that he came across as relaxed, forcing his voice not to shake, if Namjoon caught on to how desperate he actually was, he may not be willing to pay him as much. Namjoon however could tell the older man was lying immediately, the fact of the matter was that Seokjin was a bad liar, fortunately for him. Actually it was a little bit endearing watching how much effort Seokjin was putting into trying to have the advantage over him, trying to seem casual and uninterested. Namjoon could see he was definitely dressed to impress and in all honesty is was working, he was certain he had a place for someone as pretty at Seokjin within his ranks. He could play along with Seokjin for now, let him think he had the upper hand, right up until he signed a contract that is.

"Oh well then lucky me. I thought it would be good to discuss a contract, what would be required of you and of course what you'll be paid. Does that sound like a good idea to you hyung?" Namjoon took pleasure in the look of surprise on Seokjin's face, he had obviously resigned himself to the nickname, Princess, good thing too. 

"Yes, as a matter of fact, that's exactly what I was thinking. I swear to God though I will not be burring any bodies Namjoon." Seokjin tried to look intimidating, there was no way he wanted anything to do with that, the thought alone made him nauseous.

"I'd never dream of making you do something like that, I have other people for that, I already told you this at the party. You will do anything I ask; I might want you to attend parties, show your pretty face at my club or even help make the books look right; anything. Do you know what money laundering is?" Namjoon was definitely enjoying this, the man sitting across from him visibly relaxed knowing he wasn't being asked to do anything dangerous. He was minutes away from having Seokjin right under his thumb.

"Of course I do, as it happens I'm currently at university doing accounting." He was qualified for this particular role, balancing the books was easy and feeding dirty money through Namjoon's club was going to be so easy he could do it with his eyes closed.

"Well well, isn't this working out just right, Speaking of university..." Before he could go into detail about payment Seokjin grabbed Namjoon's forearm,  worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Where is the dirty money coming from? I mean, I don't feel okay with having anything to do with trafficking or anything. I may be thinking about breaking the law laundering money but I still have morals." There was no way he was going to have anything to do with people suffering, he had a bleeding heart, he couldn't stand to see people mistreated.

"Don't worry, I'm not into that either, it's only drug money sometimes protection racketeering, but that's not often. I don't fancy having the idiots I hire getting killed trying to protect some politician or businessman." Seokjin wasn't too sure what that meant but then again, he figured he didn't want to know, especially if politicians were involved.

"Now if you'll let me continue, I was about to discuss payment.  I'll pay off your university fees as well as paying you monthly. Enough for whatever you need. Actually I'll also be taking you shopping every now and again. I want you at my club often, people like seeing a pretty face you know, so I don't want you dressed like a broke student, we can go later on this week." Seokjin was over the moon, he was just expecting to have his university debt paid but this sounded even better, he was going to be able to afford all the necessary books as well as better clothing.   
Namjoon got up and sat behind the large oak desk, rummaging around in the draws, until he pulled out a piece of paper which he placed in front of himself then turned to watch Seokjin. 

"This is your contract, I can give you a while to mull things over if you like?" Seokjin got up and made his way to the desk to get a better look at the paper in front of him. Not much was written down as the job description was still pretty vague, the only things written down was the pay and the length of the contract. The monthly pay almost caused the elder man's eyes to pop out of his head, he was definitely not expecting so much money. What was he even going to do with all that extra money in his bank account?

"This says that I'm under contract for 3 years?" The older boy looked over to Namjoon hoping to see some sign that this was a joke or maybe even an error but to his dismay the other boy merely smiled, dimples and all.

"Well you'll be at university for 3 years and that's how long I'll be paying for it so I felt that you should be working here for me throughout, don't you agree?" Seokjin reached across the desk and picked up a pen to sign the document, this was definitely a fair deal and he was going to be so much more comfortable living like this.

"Are you sure about this Seokjin hyung? This is a real contract and you know who I am, so you know I will not be letting you break this contract..." The older boy ignored him and signed on the dotted line, there was no way this could go wrong, he was good at accounting and he was going to be paid so well for it.

"Nice one Princess, Welcome to the Family. We're gonna  work well together, don't you think?" Seokjin groaned inwardly at the nickname, he thought maybe Namjoon had his fun calling him that but he should be so lucky.

"Yeah I guess, but I mean don't you think it'd be easier to just call me hyung though? You know, like a normal person." Namjoon was ecstatic, this was going to be so much fun, getting under the older boy's skin was just too easy. The slight blush that dusted the elder's cheeks whenever he used the nickname was just too delectable to reconsider the nickname.


	3. Dressed to the nines

"Hurry up Princess, don't just stand there, get in the car."

Seokjin was standing awestruck in front of an extremely expensive car with an extremely well dressed Namjoon sitting behind the wheel. He was certain he could feel his cheeks warming as he slide into the passenger seat trying hard not to look at the younger man, he hated the fact he could become so flustered. Seokjin couldn't help it though, he was always shy in the presence of someone that had an air of authority and Namjoon definitely had that.

"Today is the day we take you shopping for proper clothes. That hoodie makes you look so young, don't get me wrong it's cute but that's not what we're aiming for tonight, I need to you charm all of my loyal guests after all."

Seokjin began worrying his bottom lip again, what exactly was he going to do tonight? He wasn't all that charming but maybe he could get by on looks alone, smiling and nodding when appropriate. The man next to him began to laugh as he pulled away from the house heading in the opposite direction of town.

"Where are you going? Town is the other way."

To the elder's dismay this only served to make the other laugh again. Namjoon then had the cheek to reach across the center console, pat Seokjin's knee gently and then didn't bother to remove his hand afterward.

"We're not shopping there Princess. There's a proper shopping center about half an hour away, it has far more selection and much better service."

Great, Seokjin thought hotly, I'm going to be stuck in a shopping center with a bunch of rich snobs. How on earth was he going to survive this? He was certain they would be able to tell a mile off that Seokjin didn't belong there, the clothes he was currently sporting were definitely going to highlight this.

"Are you sure you don't mind being seen there with someone like me? I don't think I'll be very welcomed there."

Namjoon frowned at that only looking over at Seokjin for a second. For some reason he didn't like the idea of Seokjin feeling inferior to anyone. The older boy was attractive, gentle and apparently extremely intelligent if their conversation yesterday was anything to go by. Seokjin had no reason to feel lesser than anyone else and Namjoon was going to make sure that he wasn't going to be treated as such either.

"Of course I don't mind, there's nothing wrong with you, I'll see to it you are very welcomed there. Nobody is going to pay us any mind, they just want us to buy stuff and tonight nobody is going to be looking down at you either. You'll be dressed to the nines while at _my_ club, everybody will be scrambling over themselves to speak to you."

Seokjin only stared at Namjoon, he honestly didn't know what to say to that, did Namjoon really see him as an equal? Wasn't he just some poor person to be bought and manipulated? Although they had spoken about the contract yesterday Seokjin didn't understand where he stood with Namjoon, was he to speak formally to Namjoon as his boss or was he to speak as a friend? Before he was able to come up with a response to Namjoon, they were already pulling up at a very large polished building with huge panes of glass covering the walls making it easy to see all the different shops that were inside.

"See this is so much better than that other place, it's hardly even comparable. Is there anywhere you want to head to first?"

Seokjin could feel Namjoon's gaze while he was staring at the grand shopping center in front of them, he felt uncomfortable with the idea of choosing where they went and it suddenly dawned on him that he was way out of his depth.

"I've never been to any of these places before, I don't know what any of them are like."

Seokjin knew that was a lame answer but it was the truth, in fact he'd never even heard of these places before. What if he hated all the clothes there, maybe he'd just have to pick something because he really didn't fancy wasting all Namjoon's time waiting for him to decide.

"Okay then I'll lead the way, we have all day to look so it's no problem anyway. Maybe we should also decide where to have lunch , what do you want to eat?"

Namjoon was dead set on getting something from the older man, he wanted Seokjin to enjoy today and stop worrying about tonight. They were going to spend all day shopping, eating delicious foods and then come evening time they were going to let loose at his club, there was no need to be so nervous. Seokjin on the other hand was becoming more stressed out the more Namjoon questioned him. He just felt so lost, he had no idea what he was supposed to be buying. In all actuality he wasn't buying for himself, he was buying something Namjoon liked, as if he was some kind of doll, but he had no idea what Namjoon wanted in the first place. Why couldn't he just buy the clothes he wanted Seokjin to wear and give them too him before tonight? He didn't know how he was supposed to behave tonight either, how was he to charm Namjoon's guests? Topping all this off Seokjin didn't know what Namjoon wanted to eat. The older man was pretty certain Namjoon had important people to see rather than sit with him and eat whatever crappy food Seokjin could think up. This whole thing was making him feel so utterly incompetent and he wasn't even being asked anything major, all he had been asked to do was to decide on lunch.

"Erm, I don't mind, we can do whatever you want to do."

Seokjin couldn't even bring himself to look at Namjoon so he decided to play with a loose thread on his sleeve. He knew it was a crappy answer and in all honesty he knew he sounded silly but he didn't know what to do anymore. Yesterday he had tried so hard to come across as confident and now he was reduced to muttering awkwardly and playing with the hem of his hoodie like a child being scolded. Namjoon could sense the change as well, even though he couldn't understand why Seokjin was acting this way, he figured he'd just make all the decisions for today. Maybe as they day went on the elder would feel less unsure of himself and start speaking up more.

"Okay, well let's go in and take a look around first, see what we see. If you don't like anything here we could drive somewhere else, I want you to find something you like because you're not going to act cool tonight if you don't like what you're wearing."

Namjoon was hoping that Seokjin would lighten up throughout the day, there was no way he was going to be able to cope tonight if he was already panicking now.

"I want you to enjoy yourself Princess."

He added as an after thought hoping to diffuse the tension as they got closer to the entrance of the shopping center, which apparently worked because Seokjin turned to frown at him and then stopped in front of the doors.

" _Well_ , aren't you supposed to hold the door for me?"

Seokjin faced the younger boy with a slight smile tugging at his lips, maybe he could use this whole Princess thing to his advantage because without another word the Blonde-haired boy moved to hold open the door with a small bow.

"After you Princess. We don't want you dirtying up your delicate little hands or anything."

Seokjin had to laugh at that, he didn't quite know what else to do in all honesty, he wasn't used to people paying him so much attention or giving him too many compliments. The atmosphere was a lot less awkward after that and both boys could start looking around at shop fronts working out which was going to be the most suitable.

"Let's try this one first, I get a lot of my things from here actually so they know me well in here. Don't worry about anything, no expense will be spared for you."

Namjoon took a hold of the elder's wrist and pulled him toward a large store with bright over head lights and very smiley shop assistant waiting for them just inside the door. Seokjin had never heard of this place before but if the younger man shopped here it couldn't be that bad. Seokjin wasn't sure if he was supposed to be dressing smartly like Namjoon or wearing something a little sexier like some kind of eye candy for the younger to parade around. Just the thought of wandering around drunk people looking like dessert made him tense up next to Namjoon.

"What's the matter, you don't like it already? We can go somewhere else if you want?"

"No no, it's not that. I-er, I don't know what I'm supposed to be wearing, you know? What do you want me to wear?"

"You can wear whatever you want, I don't mind it's up to you. Don't tell me you've never been to a club before, I mean I definitely know you go to parties. Just wear whatever you want I mean it's my club nobody's gonna throw you out or anything."

Namjoon was practically grinning ear-to-ear, apparently something about this whole situation was funny and Seokjin had no idea what it was. He might not be thrown out for going against the dress code but that didn't mean he didn't want to fit in with everyone else.

"I don't know what other people will be wearing, I just want to blend in with everyone else..."

"That's the problem, you're not supposed to be blending in with everyone else. You're going to be one of the most attractive, well dressed people in the place, everyone is supposed to be staring at you wondering if you can tell they're drooling."

The look of horror on Seokjin's face must be the reason that the younger boy was howling with laughter in front of him, there was nothing funny about being eye fucked by strangers. Somehow he was going to have to find a balance between drunk enough not to care but not drunk enough to make a fool of himself. Suddenly a small man with short black hair walked over toward the two men before Seokjin could respond.

"It's nice to see you again so soon Sir. We had a new range arrive in just this morning, if you'll follow me to the back of the store..."

The man started moving towards the back of the store smiling over his shoulder with Namjoon following suit while Seokjin trailed along behind them. When they reached the back of the store they were greeted by a large display of primarily black clothing, which looked extremely expensive by Seokjin's standard.

"What do you think Princess?"

Namjoon was grinning like a mad man because Seokjin had paled considerably and seemed to be impersonating a fish trying desperately to come up with something to say. The personal shopper had obviously felt uncomfortable because he decided it was best to allow the two to shop alone today and made an excuse to leave.

"I can't believe you just said that in front of someone else, you're going to get us thrown out of the store! Do you live to torment me or something, why can't you just call me hyung?"

Seokjin was beside himself with shock and didn't know where to look anymore so he'd taken to examining his shoes while Namjoon tried to regain his composure.

"This is too much fun, I can't just call you hyung! Nobody is going to throw us out. I can call you whatever I want it's none of their business, the only reason he left was because you started freaking out!"

A couple of minutes later Namjoon had finally managed to calm the elder and they had started looking through the various articles of clothing. Seokjin was primarily looking at the black clothing, it always looks classy and sexy in equal measures. Namjoon had obviously thought the same because he also was only looking at the black items before him. A few hours later they had decided on black leather trousers and an over-sized black jumper that showcased his collar bones perfectly with a few choice holes ripped into the fabric for good measure _(though they had to look else where for the jumper)_. Even though it's not what people usually wore to clubs they both agreed that Seokjin looked hot and if he wore eyeliner it was only going to get better. Namjoon was 100% certain his guests were going to be lining up to speak to the elder tonight, he was definitely in store for a good time.

* * * *

Namjoon had decided on a rather expensive looking restaurant when the topic of lunch arose and Seokjin had provided no insight. Once they had been seated in a quiet booth at the the back of the restaurant Namjoon had started grilling the older again. The younger had been asking endless questions about the elder's life getting all but nothing in response.

"Come on you must have something you can talk about. Friends being dicks, unsympathetic family, exams? Anything."

"Well I haven't made any friends, I came to university to study and get a degree not to have a social life. I have exams though but they're not too bad, I think I have them pretty much covered, I'm good at what I do, which is great news for you."

Seokjin was smiling now and Namjoon thought it was the most attractive thing he'd ever seen. The younger tried to burn the image into the back of his mind, hoping he would be able to make Seokjin smile more often.

"Why is that great news for me? Oh yeah, making the books look right. Well it's a happy coincident I met you at that party then right? Why were you there if you don't have any friends?"

Just as Seokjin was about to speak the waiter set down their food in front of them and offered them the usual _'enjoy you meal'_. When they had been looking over the menu earlier, Namjoon could tell that the other man had no idea what any of it meant. He had decided to order them the same meal to avoid embarrassing the elder by trying to explain it, which Seokjin was quietly thankful for.

"Erm, yeah I was just there with someone from class. I hardly know him, his friends bailed on him and he didn't want to go alone so he wanted someone that wasn't going to show him up and 'steal all the girls', his words not mine."

Seokjin laughed gently while Namjoon frowned into his plate, he didn't like the idea of Seokjin being used so blatantly.

"That guy was stupid, just because you don't talk much doesn't mean shit. Everybody was watching you out the corner of their eye, bringing you to try and make himself look better was a huge lapse in judgement. You peak people's interest without even opening that pretty mouth of yours."

Seokjin's eyes almost fell out of his head at that, he had to resort to looking at his plate while contemplating what to say next, he just wasn't used to so much care and attention.

"I-er, thanks? I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that. It doesn't matter anyway, I got a job out of it, right? Who cares what he thinks, it's lucky I was at that party."

There it was, that smile plastered over the brunette's face, Namjoon was not going to get sick of that he could already tell. It only dawned on him then how desperate Seokjin must have been in order to feel lucky that he scored a job with someone like Namjoon. Few people would even want to think about getting a job like that let alone feel thankful for it. The younger man was suddenly glad that Seokjin had gone to the party too, god knows what else he might have gone through to get a job. Before he could reply to the elder's little admission of gratitude, Namjoon noticed the brunette had started fidgeting with discomfort for what felt like the hundreth time today.

"Is there something wrong? Do you not like the food, we could go somewhere else if you'd prefer?"

"No it's not that, the food is delicious, thank you. It's just, I-er, well I know we were talking about the contract yesterday but there's something I'm still not sure about..."

"You should have said something yesterday, why would you only bring it up now?"

"Yes I know, it's just I didn't think about it till earlier. I just-erm, I'm not sure about our relationship. No, not relationship like that, what I mean to say is that I'm not sure about how I'm to address you."

Namjoon sat there smirking as the other man's ears became an alarming shade of pink while staring holes into his dinner plate again.

"Sir will do if you like, I mean you could call me other things too if you'd prefer, I mean you could call me ma..."

"NO! That's not what I mean."

The older man only gaped wide-eyed at the other, mind reeling at the sudden change in direction of the conversation. What was this guy even saying, was this supposed to be some kind of joke?

"What do you mean then, you'll have to be a little clearer, Princess"

"I _mean_  am I supposed to speak to you as an employee or like something more casual? You know if we're like spending time at your club and stuff. I'm not sure how you want me to act."

"You can just speak to me casually as you would a friend I guess, and you don't have to act like anything Princess. If someone makes you uncomfortable tonight and you don't want to speak to them anymore then you can just walk away. If you want to stop drinking, you can and if you want to leave I'll take you home. But I'd prefer if you'd stay, it's nice there you know, it's not some dirty old club or anything, it's quite classy."

"Oh."

"What, did you really think I'd leave you propped up on display and allow people to do as they pleased with you? I mean come on I'm not that bad, you're free to act as you please tonight, same goes for any other night as well. I mean I want you there but that doesn't mean I'm going to mistreat you while I have you there."

"Oh well, I- I don't know, I didn't really know what to think. I'm not really a heavy drinker though, I don't just want to pass out somewhere, that's not classy at all."

"No you're right that's not. You can drink as much as you want. I mean, I'm sure lots of people are going to be buying you drinks, that's the point of you being there. If you hold on to your glass they'll just hand money to the bar tender and tell them to serve your drink once you've finished. They'll never notice that you've been holding onto the same drink, that means more money without wasting alcohol."

"That's a good idea, I didn't think of that."

"Yeah well that's why I'm the boss. Anyways, we have to leave to get ready soon, I'll introduce you to my closest men when we get there, don't worry they're great nothing is going to happen. Nothing bad at least, it's just gonna be fun and when you're ready to leave you let me know. Got it Princess?"

Within 5 minutes both men had finished their meals and had made they way back to the car. Seokjin was feeling a lot better about tonight, if he was honest, he was even looking forward to it now he'd sorted everything out with Namjoon. Although he still wasn't sure about the whole Sir business, was that actually a joke or not, Seokjin couldn't really tell...


	4. Best of Both Worlds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long, I accidentally deleted it, then changed my mind and completely rewrote it!

Walking up to the club Seokjin could see that Namjoon wasn't lying when he'd said it was a classy establishment. It was nothing like the dingy little clubs he used to have to pick his unconscious brother up from at 5 in the morning. Stepping inside he could see a huge open plan space with a brightly light bar at one end, and a huge stage at the other. The space was complete with a large dance floor and various tables around the outside. A huge staircase ran along the wall opposite him leading to a glass balcony over-looking the club. The balcony was complete with comfy seating and a large DJ booth, so it was safe to assume that was the vip section. In all honesty he was quite impressed with the place, it looked amazing and he felt more relaxed about having to spend his free time there.

"I'm glad you're here, I half expected you not to turn up. You look good by the way." Seokjin turned to see Namjoon standing behind him with a stupid smirk plastered across his face.

"Why wouldn't I turn up, I signed a contract didn't I?" Seokjin tried to look a little indignant at the idea of breaking his contract, but in actuality he had been debating whether or not to show up. "Oh and I look more than just good thank you very much."

"Ah, of course Princess, how silly of me. You look absolutely ravishing, you are definitely going to be good for business. Let me introduce you to the rest of the Family, follow me."  
As Seokjin followed behind Namjoon he noticed that the younger man was dressed much like himself, truth be told they were almost matching. Both men wore tight leather trousers and black combat boots which actually made Seokjin feel badass. The only difference was the top half; Namjoon was wearing a loose fit white shirt opened at the collar with the sleeves rolled up. Seokjin on the other hand wore an over-sized black jumper that hung below his collarbones with well placed holes in the chest and arms.

"This is Jenissi, Kookie and the newbie Kidoh." Namjoon had come to an abrupt halt pulling Seokjin from his thoughts. The three men standing before him were all, for lack of a better word, beautiful. Namjoon apparently only hired attractive people, appearance obviously being of top priority.

"Hi, you must be Seokjin right? Don't look so nervous, Namjoonie already told us you're a light weight, we've got your back, we won't let you get too drunk." The man Namjoon had introduced as Jenissi winked at him over the bar. He was tall with soft brown hair and warm almond eyes, Seokjin now felt his job seemed redundant with someone like Jenissi around.

"Thanks, I really don't wanna pass out somewhere or make a complete dick of myself." Seokjin was trying to be polite and make conversation only to be distracted by the younger boy, presumable Kookie, grinning at him like the cheshire cat.

"Yeah, you definitely don't want to pass out dressed like that, you never know what might happen." The younger boy was now eyeing him hungrily making Seokjin uncomfortable. Kookie had jet black hair that fell into his eyes which were heavily lined with dark make up, but judging by the cute bunny teeth Seokjin assumed he wasn't actually old enough to be behind that bar or even in the club for that matter.

"How old are you kid?" Seokjin was a little unnerved with the clearly under-aged boy trying to flirt with him, he decided that calling him kid from now on might keep Kookie at arms length.

"I'm 17 but it doesn't matter, I know what I'm doing thanks, Kidoh is the newbie here." A bark of laughter came simultaneously from both Jenissi and Namjoon, but Seokjin was a little taken aback by Kookie's bluntness so turned his focus to Kidoh.

"Okay, so how long have you been working here?" He smiled warmly at the other boy ignoring Kookie for the time being. Kidoh had light brown wavy hair that was styled up away from his forehead with large innocent doe eyes. A small voice at the back of his mind told him that if he was working for Namjoon he was most likely not all that innocent but he immediately scolded himself for thinking such things. After all he too now worked for Namjoon, it honestly didn't seem too bad, the place was nice and the people were friendly enough.

"About 2 weeks, not long at all but I think I'm getting the hang of it." Kidoh turned to look at Jenissi with an almost hopeful glint in his eye replaced by relief when the older man clapped him on the back with a smile.

"I think you're doing a great job, plus you're easy on the eyes which is good for business. What do you think boss man?" Jenissi was just trying to mess with him, make him sweat a little in front of the boss. All he archived though was to make him flustered because Namjoon had replied in great detail just how good Kidoh looked.

"Well, he may look hot but the others look hot and can seriously move those hips, if you know what I mean. Hot and athletic, it's like the best of both worlds." Jenissi gave a lopsided smirk while nodding towards the stage.

"The new kid is an amazing dancer and those tight trousers he's always dancing in, damn. Unfortunately I'm sure he's gotten pretty close with Jhope though, such a shame because I had money on Hansol getting there first." Jenissi was interrupted half way through miming a slam dunk being shoved to the side playfully by Kookie.

"Don't be an idiot, Hansol has his eye on Bjoo, there's no way he'd go for Jimin. I don't think there's anything going on with Jimin and Jhope either. I mean honestly I don't think Jhope is brave enough to get in Suga's way even if he did like Jimin." That last part making all the boys, minus Seokjin, laugh.  
"Oh no wait, he hasn't met them yet, he doesn't know what we're even talking about." Namjoon turned his focus back to Seokjin as he went on to explain. "They're talking about the dancers we have here, at the minute there are four of them. The newest recruit being Jimin which was why I was at that party we met at, celebrating and all that."

"Not Suga though, he's like a human sloth he just likes to watch Jimin dance. Suga, as you can probably guess by the name, is our resident candy man. Keeps the people partying and the boss man rich, but I mean the money he makes here is just pocket change in comparison to what he shifts around throughout the country. I think the only reason he wastes his time dealing here at night is so the customers are high while he's DJ-ing , sets the mood you know." Kookie was eager to give his opinion enjoying all the gossip, forcing Seokjin to make a mental note not to talk about himself too much.

"Okay but back to the dancers, like damn those guys can move, seriously though you've got to see for yourself." Kidoh leaned across the bar eyes wide in awe.

"Well I'm going to be around for a while now so I'll probably see them at some point right?" Seokjin laughed at the other boy's reaction, sure he was over exaggerating a little.

"Oh don't worry, you'll see them dance tonight in fact. Maybe even meet them after the show depends who sticks around but you'll get to speak to them eventually." Kidoh winked and was about to continue but was interrupted by Namjoon.

"Okay that's enough it's getting close to opening time, you guys get back to work. Seokjin let's get some drinks and go upstairs to see Suga, he's probably setting up now."

 

-

 

Not a minute after the two men were seated on the plush leather sofas, a man with bright lilac hair jumped into one of the vacant armchairs, legs dangling over the arm making himself at home.

"Namjoonie you didn't tell me you made a new friend, who is this?" the younger boy squinted at Seokjin trying to decide whether he liked him or not before he even opened his mouth.

"I'm Seokjin or just Jin if you'd prefer, I don't mind either way. I just signed a contract with Namjoon so I'll be around for a while." The elder spoke firmly trying to seem confident hoping to deter the kid from causing him any grief, he was going to be around for the next three years afterall.

"Well hello, I'm sure we'll get along famously I'm Taehyung, but everyone calls me V. I don't work for Namjoonie but we're good friends so I like to hang around."

"Pfft, more like you enjoy making life difficult and don't pretend you're here because of me. We both know that when Kookie gets off work you'll be attached to his hip begging him to stay the night at your place." The blonde spoke up before V could continue.

"Excuse you, making life difficult? I got you new employees didn't I? Kookie and Jimin wouldn't be working here if not for me." Suddenly a man with bright orange hair appeared at the top of the stairs with a face like thunder and clearly out of breath from the stairs.

"Yeah yeah, you got me underage kids thanks a lot. I'm gonna go speak to Suga, you both stay here."  
V promptly turned his attention back to Seokjin without a second glance at the blonde. "Anyway, we go to the same college; Jimin, Kookie and me, although Kookie only just started after I got him the job. They were both homeless, Jimin was kicked out after his parents found out he was gay and Kookie ran away from his foster home, it wasn't a good place you know." V paused to down the rest of his drink in one go and judging by the amount of information he was spilling on his friends it wasn't his first drink of the night. 

"Kookie's parents died a while ago and since he was homeless he was in need of money so he could go to college. I didn't want him copying Jimin but for some stupid reason he wouldn't take my money so I got him a job here. I dunno if he likes it though, he doesn't talk about himself much but I presume it's better than being homeless right?"

"Yeah I'd say so, I don't think being homeless while at college is an ideal learning environment. What about Jimin didn't you want him to copy?" The older boy was shocked to hear boys so young already becoming lost in the system and his heart ached for Kookie. He knew what it was like to loose parents at a young age and try to struggle through life.

"Er, well he was... how do I put this? I like to push my limits, I'm a bored rich kid, you know that old chestnut. One day I was curious and decided to wonder round the red light district and I found Jimin on a street corner. I made him go with me to the nearest late night restaurant and we talked about it. I found out that's how he was paying for college. I did wonder how he was doing it, I mean he's always wanted to be a dancer so I was glad he was dancing at college but I never knew how he could afford it." Seokjin handed over his drink when V started looking into his own empty glass.

"So long story short I went to Namjoon and convinced him to hire them both. I mean he already needed another dancer and it wasn't too much to give Kookie a job as well. Namjoon can be a bit of a dick though so I'm guessing he also has his own reasons for agreeing to hire Kookie, unless he was just doing me, his bestest friend, a favour." V downed the second glass in one and stood up motioning Seokjin to follow him downstairs to the bar in search of more alcohol.  
At the bar V made the order for both of them, some cocktail the other had never heard of, and began trying to engage Kookie in conversation.

"Not right now Taetae, I'm getting everything set up I'll speak to you when I'm finished later on tonight." While V tried to convince Kookie that now was a good time to talk, something caught Seokjin's eye, a small group of guys had started setting up on the stage opposite them. Realising that these boys were probably the elusory dancers he tried to get a proper look.

"Told you they were hot!" The older boy turned to see Kidoh grinning at him while handing over his drink.

"Yes you did, oh and thanks for the drink it looks great." Making his way back up to the vip section with V he decided to do some digging on the guys he'd just seen setting up on stage.

"So, what about the others that work here, the dancers I mean, how old are they?" Seokjin didn't want to sound to eager but the guys at the bar had piqued his interest and after seeing them himself he agreed the hype was well deserved.

"I'm not certain about the others I've only met them a handful of times. I already told you Jimin was my age right?" The younger boy stumbled a little on the top step before Seokjin could grab him.

"You didn't tell me how old you were actually, but I'm assuming close to Kookie's age?" V only answered after he'd been deposited safely in his seat with Seokjin sitting opposite.

"Oh right yeah, me and Jimin are 19, we've almost finished with college. I think Hansol is 21, same age as Suga, but I doubt they've spoken much, although Suga doesn't speak much to anybody. Anyways, I think Bjoo and Jhope are like 20, why do you ask?"  
Seokjin thought that maybe it was his turn to start necking his drink instead of answering the question. He really didn't like the idea of talking about himself to V as he seemed just as quick to gossip about co-workers than Kookie was. Just as he'd finished his drink Namjoon dropped into the seat next to him on the sofa with Suga occupying an armchair next to them.

"Easy there Princess, people are only just starting to arrive, don't want you passing out anytime soon." Namjoon was leaning back facing Seokjin looking like the the cat who got the cream while Suga bawled with laughter. V evidently didn't hear anything because he stood without a word making his way downstairs to harrass Kookie some more. Seokjin had decided early on that he was going to have to get used to Namjoon calling him princess. Now it seemed he would have to get used to it faster as the blonde had no qalms about using the nickname around other people.

"I'm perfectly fine thank you for asking, in fact I may just go get another." Seokjin made to get up and follow after V for another one of those cocktails, when Namjoon grabbed his forearm and pulled him back into his seat.

"No wait a couple more minutes, people are going to be filling in quickly anytime now someone else will buy you something. Remember to smile prettily and be charming." Seokjin huffed a little and even pretended to pout a little before turning to look back over at the stage vaguely wondering when the show was to start. The lights had all dimmed a little now and there were plenty more people than there had been not a few moments ago.

"They'll be on soon, maybe an hour or so. Has Namjoonie introduced you to any of them yet?" Suga had spoken up for the first time since sitting down and was now staring holes into Seokjin.

"Er, no not yet but the guys at the bar were all talking about them earlier. Apparently you're friends with one of them?" Seokjin wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tease the shorter man with the knowlege he'd gained from the bar staff earlier but for some reason he couldn't resist. 

"Not exactly no, he doesn't speak to me very much. He's kinda shy our Jiminie but you know you shouldn't pay attention to gossip Princess."Suga was obviously not the kind of guy to take kindly to teasing but it was definitely worth it seeing the slight pink dusting his cheeks.

"Hey don't call him that, make up your own damn nickname." Namjoon was scowling slightly at the idea of someone else calling Seokjin princess, that was his own special nickname after all. The three men sat for what felt like hours arguing over a suitable nickname. Seokjin didn't want to be made fun of and Namjoon didn't want anyone to feel intimate enough with the elder to use a nickname. Soon enough Suga had to leave to take up residence in the DJ booth leaving Namjoon and Seokjin to talk about the the various guests attending the night. Several couples came and went making pleasant conversation but all in all nothing interesting. Every so often someone managed to get Seokjin alone, offering drinks and a place to stay for the evening, the drinks being the only thing the elder agreed to.

The music stopped abruptly and then the lights shut off completely, nothing was heard but excited whispers as the guests anticipated what was to happen next. Before long a slow and gentle beat filtered through the speakers, fueling the excitement throughout the club. A spotlight came on over head to reveal four men wearing nothing but tight leather trousers and black high top sneakers. The crowd erupted into a variety of high pitch squeals, loud jeers and wolf whistles before the performance had even began.The music then dropped into a loud and heavy hiphop beat and all four men broke out into a powerful and perfectly synchronized street dance performance. Seokjin couldn't help but notice that after a few songs in the men dancing had began to sweat, their well-sculpted bodies now glistening under the spotlight. He almost didn't notice Kidoh standing at his elbow handing him a drink whilst shouting an "I told you so!" into his ear. The performance had a short intermission so that the dances could catch their breath before coming out again to perform a solo. During this time more wealthy guests came over to speak with Seokjin while simultaneously filling his body with copious amounts of alcohol. After a few more minutes the lights dimmed again and the show started restarted. Seokjin wasn't sure which dancer was which but the one he assumed to be Jimin, due to the fact he looked the youngest, was the first to take the spotlight. He performed a slow sensual piece teasing the guests closest to the stage by winking and biting his lip every so often. The kid obviously knew what he was doing because the audience began to blindly throw fists full of money at his feet. Next was a cute boy with bright purple hair who leapt into a fast paced street dance routine marking his finish by almost kissing one of the guests. He was followed by a boy with white blonde hair doing a slower hiphop number and judging by the loud cheers this kid was a favourite. It was easy to see why he was so popular, the boy performed the whole song with a playful smirk whilst dancing within groping distance only to pull away at the last minute. The last one to perform had jet black hair styled up and away from his face, he had the audience beside themselves with the second street dance routine of the evening complete with boogaloo and popping. By the time the song finished the audience were cheering loudly whilst money was being thrown towards the stage with renewed vigor. 

Seokjin then spends the next two hours; drinking anything and everything he's bought, chatting to older married women, as well as have the occasional young bachelor hand him a business card with a phone number on it. At one point he's cornered by a woman talking about how her husband is never home, when he sees Suga drag Jimin towards the bar and he makes a mental note to tease him about it later. Soon he becomes overwhelmed by the number of people fighting for his attention whilst struggling with the increasing level of alcohol flooding his system. Not five minutes later he excuses himself, with the pretense of needing to find a restroom. While trying to find something that resembles a restroom he spots Namjoon talking animatedly to another man and makes a beeline in that direction. In an effort to avoid another tedious conversation with some lonely divorcee he decides to stand close to Namjoon who instantly puts his arm around Seokjin's shoulders without stopping his conversation. The older boy can feel a warm blush creeping across his cheeks so trains his eyes to the floor hoping that if anyone notices they'll think he's had a bit too much to drink, which in all honesty he has. A small part of Seokjin was panicking because he wasn't supposed to have had so much to drink. He had to wake early the next day to sit an exam discussing "the impact on the economy of achieving equal pay between men and women" or something to that effect. Without warning Namjoon pulled him towards the main doors and out into the night, as soon as the cool air hit Seokjin he instantly felt horrendously drunk and couldn't help but stagger a little.

"Do you need me to take you home? You seem rather tipsy to me, I promise I'll introduce you to everyone else next time if that's what you're waiting for." The elder could help but laugh at that, he was definitely a little more than tipsy.

"Yes I do need to go home, I think I'm more than tipsy." Namjoon could tell by the slight slur of his words that the elder was telling the truth, he helped the brunette into his car and then made his way to the driver's seat.

"What's so funny?" Seeing the older boy leaning against the window giggling to himself was enough to make Namjoon laugh along.

"I have to get up tomorrow an take an exam, maybe I can call in sick." Seokjin sounded almost breathless from laughing too hard and began hiccoughing slightly whilst sliding down in his chair to get more comfortable. Slowly Namjoon leaned over the other man to pull across his seatbelt for him, seeing that he wasn't attempting to do it himself. As he watched the other giggling and muttering drunken nonsense under his breath he realised he didn't know where Seokjin lived.

This was gonna be an even longer night than he had previously thought. `


	5. Caught between two stools

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG THIS TOOK SO LONGGGGG! So much stuff is happening at the minute and I just wanted to give up on this... but I didn't.

After spending half an hour convincing Seokjin to give up his home address, Namjoon finds himself outside of a rather small shabby apartment. Once he's carefully extracted the older boy from the passenger seat he lifts Seokjin bridal style and walks up to the front door hoping that he'll be able to find a key in the other's pocket.

"Hey Princess, gimme a hand yeah?" He tries to stand the other against the front door wondering if anyone will be waiting up for Seokjin.

"I don't know." The older boy was mumbling while trying to push Namjoon away who had been shoving his hands into the other's pockets looking for the key. This only made Namjoon laugh, clearly Seokjin had no idea what was going on or what he was even saying for that matter.

"It doesn't matter I found the key, let's get you upstairs before someone thinks we're trying to break in or something." With that he moves Seokjin to stand against the wall next to the door and lets them both into the apartment. Once he manages to drag Seokjin into the living room his grasp on the other loosens, too busy gaping at how small the room is, causing Seokjin to collapse in a heap on the floor.

"Shit. Come on, get up. Why can't you even stand, how much did you drink?" Namjoon lifted the other boy and made his way to the bedroom, it was easier to find than he orginally thought because the apartment was really that small.

"How much of this are you going to remember, huh? Didn't you say you had something to do tomorrow morning?" After recieving no reply he tucked Seokjin into bed leaving a glass of water and some headache tablets on the bedside table. Not to be nice or anything, it's just because he has stuff for Seokjin to do tomorrow and he doesn't want the guy slacking because of a hangover. At least that's what he tells himself because Namjoon is not nice to anyone, not even pretty boys like Seokjin.

 

-

 

(Received 7:00): Don't forget to come over tonight, you've got work to do and I don't pay you for nothing.

Seokjin scrambles out of bed in a panic with a terrible hangover trying to get his bearings. He doesn't feel like pointing out that he did get paid to go out and get drunk last night, so technically he had been working.

(Delivered: 7:02): I feel like dying, this hangover is no joke. Also how the hell did I get home last night?

(Recieved: 7:05): I got someone to take you home because you were wasted. (

Delivered: 7:05): Really? I don't remember anything at all, I don't even remember getting to the club. I didn't embarass myself to much I hope?

(Recieved: 7:10): No you didn't. Don't you have something to do this morning?

Damn it. Yeah he did have something to do this morning. He has an exam in less than an hour and he has the worlds worst hangover. Great. Seokjin was in the middle of wondering whether or not he could afford to skip the exam and retake it at a later date when he saw the glass of water and medicine on the bedside table.

(Delivered: 7:12): Who took me home last night?

(Recieved: 7:012): I don't know, why does it matter?

(Delivered: 7:12): They left some medicine next to my bed. I just wanted to thank them for being sweet.

Deciding that taking a shower and eating some breakfast, would probably make him feel a lot better, he made his way to the bathroom and jumped into the shower. Shit. He still hasn't paid his gas bill leaving him no choice but to have a freezing cold shower to help with the hangover. By the time he got to the kitchen he found that he actually had no food left in his cupboards so breakfast was off the table, today was just not his day. After he got into his car, and found that he didn't have enought petrol to drive all the way to university, he decided to call it quits. Practically storming back into the apartment, he threw himself into the uncomfortable little sofa he had once found in the street, and accepted the fact that he wasn't going to make the exam. Maybe he should just spend the day running errands, at least that way it wouldn't be a complete waste of a day. He pulled out his busted up laptop from under the sofa to check his bank account. He was so shocked that Namjoon had already paid him that he almost dropped the laptop, granted it was rather cheap and old but it was all he could afford at the time and he needed it. He could definitely afford to do his grocery shopping now but in all honesty that was thinking rather small scale, with this money he could afford a new apartment as well as some decent furniture. Seokjin decides the best course of action is to go and get fuel for his car, pick up shopping and spend the rest of the afternoon looking at apartments online until he left to meet Namjoon.

 

-

 

Seokjin pulls up to the familliar black iron wrought gates half an hour earlier than the agreed time, in all honesty he had gotten bored looking at apartments and he wasn't really sure where the best place to buy was anyway. Once inside he makes his way to Namjoon's office and takes a seat in front of the large desk he had sat himself in not two days ago.

"You're early." Namjoon had walked into the room so quietly the older boy hadn't even been aware of his presence and almost leapt out of his skin on hearing his voice.

"Yeah today has not been my day, I missed my exam and ended up apartment hunting instead. Then I got bored, and to tell the truth I don't even know what I'm looking for, so here I am."

"Wow, you really don't have a social life do you? You're that bored you came to work early." Seokjin bristled a little at that, he'd already explained he didn't bother making any friends, he came to university for a degree not a social life.

"Well does it really matter what I do with my personal time? Do you have something for me to do or not?" Namjoon was trying to surpress a smirk, for some reason getting under the other's skin was just too much fun.

"No you're right, whatever you don't do in your personal time is none of my business. I mean at least I know that last night was the most fun you've had this year, right?" He really couldn't resist now forgoing the previous smirk for full on laughter. Seokjin didn't even bother to reply because he coundn't even remember last night so he had no idea how much 'fun' he actually had. He decided to stare blankly at the other until he'd gotten a hold of himself.

"Okay, okay I'm done. I want you to go back to the bar and look over all the sales last night. You can get details on the drink sales from the registers, but for all the other sales you'll need to speak to Suga. I'll give you his number and let him know you're gonna call." The younger man was all business now, his job was definitely something he took seriously. Seokjin was just about the leave the room when Namjoon spoke up suddenly, the playful lilt in his voice returned.

"oh yeah and don't write down specifics or anything. Just the general gist of where money is going we need to be discreet, yeah?" Namjoon's smirk was back and Seokjin could do nothing but roll his eyes, did he really look that stupid.

 

-

 

Seokjin arrives at the club not twenty minutes later when he's receiving a phone call from an unknown number, after debating for a few seconds whether or not to accept it, he hits the answer button. He's greeted with a deep and rather grumpy sounding voice on the other end.

"What's taking you so damn long huh? I don't have all day to wait around for your call you know." He barely acknowledges what the person is saying, too busy struggling with the door keys.

"Do you wanna watch your tone! I don't even know who this is, so can you not bite my head off...damn it!" After dropping the keys for a second time he gives up trying to lock the door behind him and carries on towards the cash registers behind the bar.

"You sound like you're having fun. This is Suga and you were supposed to call." The voice on the receiver sounded amused now, clearly enjoying the idea of Seokjin struggling.

"Yeah I was gonna call, there wasn't a time limit and I didn't know Namjoon had already spoken to you. I've only just got to the club, gimme a second." Seokjin couldn't help but snap at the other. Truthfully he didn't want to get on Suga's bad side but he couldn't let anyone walk all over him, not now he was working with people like Namjoon who'd eat him alive.

"No need to sound so pissy, I'm doing you a favour. I'm leaving soon and I won't have my phone on, which would make your life much harder unless I called you before. But I mean, if you're too busy..." Hell no, Seokjin was not gonna be waiting around til god knows when for Suga's phone to be turned back on.

"No wait! I'm almost ready lemme grab a pen hang on." He could hear the other chuckle through the receiver which only aggravated him more but at least he might get things done quicker this way.

"That's what I thought... what was your name again? Princess?" Oh yeah Suga was definitely laughing now, this stupid nickname needed to go, damn Namjoon.

"Ha. Ha. That's a bit rich coming from you isn't it, 'Suga'. My name is Seokjin, thank you very much." Now that he was sitting up at the bar equipped with pen and paper he could finally get the details from the other and hang up.

"Shall I hang up now then or...?" Seokjin wouldn't put it past the other to actually hang up and make him wait around for the information and he really didn't need that right now.

"No no, I'm ready just hurry up." After spending another ten minutes on the phone with Suga going through all the figures, he then spent another twenty minutes trying to work out the most inconspicuous way of noting all this down on his laptop. He honestly didn't think he was doing too badly with this, it's not like they taught this kinda thing in his accountancy lectures. Well at least not a step-by-step 'how to' guide considering it was very much illegal. Once he'd figured everything out he was pretty relieved about the fact that laundering the money would be simple seeing as Namjoon already owned a legitimate business. He made his way around the bar towards the register and started noting down all the figures, Seokjin could tell this club was for the insanely wealthy because the amount made in one night was absolutely ridiculous, obviously not as much a Suga was pushing around nationwide but still a lot none the less. He was definitely glad he didn't have to pay for any of the drinks he had last night because one drink alone cost about an arm and a leg. Then he was hit with the sudden realisation that complete strangers were willing to buy these drinks for him just to have an excuse to be in his presence. Seokjin wasn't stupid and he didn't play coy, he knew he was attractive but was a five minute conversation with him really worth that much? He really wasn't much of a conversationalist and he was sure that he didn't say much to anyone that night. A slight wave of guilt hit Seokjin knowing that the guests had been cheated out of a lot of money because he was probably a lot less interesting than they'd thought he'd be and therefore not worth the money. Just as he'd finished inputting all the data into his laptop he heard the sound of someone entering the club behind him.

"You're not supposed to leave the door unlocked you know, it's dangerous. Anyone could have walking in behind you and shot you in the back of the head. That's why we all have separate keys, so we can lock ourselves in." Seokjin stood with his mouth hanging open slightly, for two reasons. One; he was standing face to face with one of the unbelievable attractive dancers he saw last night. Two; said dancer had so casually mention the strong possibility of being brutally murdered.

"Erm, sorry I didn't know..but like...is that something that's likely to happen?" The dancer broke into a bright grin and laughed a little.

"Yeah that's likely to happen, but don't worry just lock yourself in when you get inside. Oh and I'm J-Hope by the way, one of the dancers, which is actually why I'm here. Practicing you know?" Somehow his smile got even brighter and Seokjin was sure that his breath audibly hitched, he just hoped that the other didn't hear it.

"Oh yes, hi I'm Seokjin. I saw you dance last night, it was pretty amazing to be honest, all of you danced so well. I'm sorry but did you just say your name is J-hope?" Now Seokjin was certain this was just a nickname but he didn't want to outright ask for the guy's real name, that might be a bit forward.

"Well J-hope is just a nickname that everyone calls me. I can't tell you my real name though, at least not yet, I hardly know you afterall. It's dangerous business giving out your real name round here, poor Jiminie made that mistake already and it's too late to change it now." The older man balked at that, nobody told him to give out a nickname!

"Why can't you give out your real name, what will happen? I've already introduced myself to people with my real name! Nobody told me to chose a nickname." J-hope's face softened slightly and gave Seokjin a reassuring pat on the shoulder which didn't do much to reassure him funnily.

"Well, it doesn't matter it's too late now. Just be careful who you trust because terrible things can happen in this line of work, trust me I would know." J-hope kinda looked like he was done speaking and was about to turn and leave but Seokjin spoke before he could stop himself.

"Why, what do you mean?" The younger looked up at Seokjin surprised and for a moment he seemed to contemplate just leaving without an explaination. After a moment of uncomfortable silence he took pity on Seokjin and dragged him by the sleeve to sit on the stools at the bar.

"Man, you really don't know what you signed up for do you?" Seokjin would have thought that J-hope was being condescending but the younger seemed genuinely concerned.

"Well, Namjoon told me I would be his accountant as well as some kind of, I don't even know what to call it, 'lure' to his club? He didn't say it'd be dangerous and I suppose you wouldn't say something like that when recruiting, but I mean, I know of Namjoon so I figured it wouldn't be 100% safe but..." Seokjin began trailing off when he saw the incredulous look on the the other's face.

"Well I didn't think my life would be on the line! Stop looking at me like that, I need the money." The younger gave a snort of laughter and nodded his head in understanding.

"Yeah I get you, money isn't easy to come by. If you had known your life was going to be in danger would you still have signed the contract?" Seokjin was caught between two stools. He couldn't deny he had been desperate, none of the jobs were helping with his financial problems and he didn't have any family or friends to help him out. It was either drop out of uni and be broke or risk his life working for Namjoon.

"I guess I would have, yeah. That's pretty messed up right, risking my life for money?" He forced a laugh sounding dry and humourless even to his own ears.

"Nah not really, I joined up and it wasn't even for the money everybody's got a price. Can I ask what you need the money for, just out of curiosity?"

"oh er, I need to pay university fees and like bills and whatever. I don't really have anyone to help me out and the regular jobs weren't cutting it."

"Ah, well I know what you mean, uni bills are no joke. I'm Majoring in Dance, what about you?"

"Oh really, you're at the university too? I'm doing Accountancy, not going to lie though it's not what I thought it'd be. I'm sure you're going to pass your course with flying colours, is that why you got a job here, the dancing?" The younger boy gave a short laugh and seemed to contemplate Seokjin before answering.

"I did get a job here because I could dance but it's not the only reason." He seemed as though he was going to let Seokjin in on a big secret but then changed his mind last minute. "In all honesty the backstory is pretty grim, I don't wanna upset you or anything..."

"No I want to know, I mean I'm going to be here for a few years and it would be good to get to know the people around here. Might make things more comfortable for everyone if there's not just some 'new guy' hanging around." Seokjin didn't really want to seem pushy but getting to know everyone was probably a good idea, hopefully everyone could get used to him being a new member more quickly this way.

"Hmm, well its not just my backstory its also the reason Kookie managed to get a job here and it also involves V but if you're Joonie's new right hand man I guess it's okay for you to know?" He sat quietly playing with one of the menus from the bar, giving himself a few minutes to decide whether he could share the privileged information with Seokjin. J-hope supposed the elder came across as a nice trustworthy guy, a little awkward and shy but harmless none the less, and if Namjoon trusted Seokjin then maybe he could too.

"Okay well, me and V have known each other for a long time, like years. We always hung out after class, rode our bike to the park, went for ice-cream, you know all that good stuff, then after a few years of being best friends with him and being around his family all the time I got close with his brother too." J-hope began shift uncomfortably in his seat no longer meeting Seokjin's eyes.

"Me and his brother started to date and things were good, like really good; I had the best friend I could hope for, I had a super caring boyfriend and school was going well. Then I found out that V was really good friends with the guy my boyfriend worked for, Namjoon, and I wanted to meet him too. They were all really close and friendly and I wanted to be part of it." The younger boy's voiced cracked and became a little wobbly, stopping every now and then to compose himself. Seokjin did not like where this was going and seeing the younger so shaken upset him.

"You don't have to continue if it's too much, I'm really sorry for bringing it up." Seokjin interupted reaching across to lay a hand on J-hope forearm in the hopes of comforting him. "No it's fine, you were right before, well should all get comfortable together." J-hope sat up straight on the bar stool and smiled at Seokjin trying to hold himself together.

"After a few months Namjoon told me he wanted dancers for his club and asked if I knew anybody willing to help him out. I said that I was studying dance and that I could ask around and see who needed a job. I didn't manage to find anyone willing to dance at a club, everyone thought they were better than that, but in my opinion dancing is dancing, so I joined and V managed to get Jimin along." The raven laughed a little and smiled fondly, Jimin was a good kid and he really thanked his lucky stars that Jimin had join because the younger boy's friendship has been invaluable over the years. "

So there we were; all working together, looking out for each other, taking care of each other. Then one day..." J-hope's voiced cracked and he tried to clear his throat a few times, wishing he could be strong and just finish the damn story. Seokjin jumped up and walked behind the bar and got the younger man a drink from the cooler under the bar. Walking back to his stool next to the other he handed over the drink with a warm smile, wondering whether to continue the conversation at a later date. There was a short pause while J-hope drank the drink and tried to collect himself, pushing on with the story before he broke down in tears in front of the other.

"One day I came into work and V was crying in front of Namjoon who looked really shaken and pissed off, so I ran over trying to comfort V thinking that he'd just made Joonie angry enough to snap at him or something. Namjoon wouldn't look me in the eye and V was crying too much to tell me what was wrong. Eventually Namjoon told me that...he'd been killed and...I..." J-hope couldn't speak beyond this point, his voice kept wobbling and his eye's were brimming with tears. Seokjin felt sick and imensely guilty for making J-hope recount the story of his boyfriend's murder. Without another word Seokjin stood up and engulfed the crying boy into a hug, he wasn't sure if it was a bit awkward as they'd just met but it felt like the right thing to do and the other didn't pull away. Infact he buried his face in Seokjin's chest and gripped onto his shirt sobbing harder, the younger man was visable shaking and Seokjin felt awful watching the poor boy's heart break again.

"I'm so sorry J-hope, I didn't think about the story upsetting you. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, that you're still going through it. You don't deserve to feel like this, nobody does." Seokjin really couldn't think of what to say or do, maybe he should offer to call someone or maybe suggest doing something else to take his mind of it?

"It's...it's not your f-fault, I thought I could handle t-talking about it but I was w-wrong." His breathing was becoming uneven and Seokjin was a little worried he might pass out so he just stood there with the younger boy in his arms rubbing comforting circles into his back, after a few more minutes of this J-hope had calmed down.

"I'm sorry, this is really embarrassing I didn't mean to cry like a baby on you." The younger boy mumbled into Seokjin's shirt not lifting his head to meet the elder's eyes.

"Don't say that! You have every right to cry, I shouldn't have stuck my nose in your business like that." Before Seokjin could suggest getting a breath of fresh air or doing something else J-hope pulled back out of his arms and wipped his face.

"Anyway the story's not done yet..." The raven seemed to have composed himself and was about to start up his story again.

"No wait, you don't have to continue we could go and do something else, try and take your mind off it a little bit." J-hope grinned at that, smile radiating so brightly Seokjin thought he might just go blind.

"You're so sweet, don't worry about me and the sad part is over now anyway." The older boy felt a little flustered being complimented like that by J-hope, he hoped to cover it up by pulling completely away from the other and sitting back on his stool.

"So basically Namjoon is really pissed about.. you know, what happened so he wants to find the guy who did it, we all do really. Joonie managed to work out which of our rivals did it and he wants to just go kill the lot of them but he also wants to know who actually, you know, did it. He wants to take his time with that one, so he needed a spy to infiltrate and get information." It was Seokjin's turn to start playing nervously with the menu sitting on the bar in front of him because he really, _really_ didn't like where this was going.

"When V first told Namjoon that Kookie was homeless and needed a job at the club it was immediately out of the question, Joonie didn't need some underaged kid working at the club. But then he thought about it some more and he felt that Kookie was probably desperate enough to do anything for a real paying job. He met up with Kookie and saw that, well you've seen him, he's so innocent and cute with those little bunny teeth and everything." J-hope looked a little sheepish now, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly and Seokjin knew what was coming next.

"So you guys thought that Kookie could make friends with your rivals without any suspicion, because he's so seemingly innocent? He's just a kid though, what if they see him working here in Joonie's club?" Seokjin was feeling a little frantic, he wasn't particularly close to Kookie but the boy was so young and obviously vulnerable.

"Namjoon thought of everything though, he gave Kookie the job here as a cover so V doesn't know what he's actually gotten his friend into and Kookie always makes sure nobody knows he works here. He makes sure to come and go without being seen and honestly do you think Joonie would tolerate any of his rivals anywhere near his turf?" Seokjin began worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, the plan still didn't seem fool proof, an underage boy shouldn't be working a bar for starters and joining some kind of gang didn't seem like a good idea either.

"That's a lot to take in, I don't really know what to say." The older boy started pulling at his sleeves nevously, avoiding eye contact with the boy sitting next to him.

"You don't need to say anything, _literally_. Don't tell anyone anything and make sure you keep everything locked up after you from now on. But at least now you're kinda up to date and this was an excellent ice-breaker don't you think? Next time you have to be the one crying like a baby, maybe we should watch a sad movie together, you seem like the type to cry at those!" Seokjin was now smiling, J-hope was such a nice guy and it reminded him of the medicine left on his bedside table this morning.

"Okay deal, erm..this might sound weird but I was just wondering, did Namjoon get you to take me home last night?" Having to ask this made the elder blush a little, the thought of being so drunk he couldn't remember getting home was a tad embarrassing.

"Er, no I left pretty quickly last night because I had to get up for class. Why?" Seokjin felt a little disappointed, for some strange reason he just really wanted to know who would do something so thoughtful for him.

"Oh right, no I was just wondering because I was really drunk and I wanted to apologise for probably ruining their night. I don't normally drink you see." J-hope started grinning again and got up out of his seat motioning Seokjin to follow.

"Ah that's really cute of you to want to apologise but I think if Joonie made them take you home they really couldn't complain anyway, everyone kinda does what Namjoon says because well, he's a little scary sometimes." Seokjin could definitely tell that Namjoon was very demanding and authoritative when he wanted to be, making sure nobody put a toe out of line.

"Anyway enough of all that, this last hour has been a rollercoaster of emotions and I'm drained. I need to go and practice my dance, wanna free show?" J-hope smirked a little as he said this and Seokjin felt a little bit shaken and shy, but how could he say no to an offer like that?


End file.
